The Ulm-Westtangente locality has yielded the most abundant vertebrate fauna from the Aquitanian stage in Germany. Its dating to the Mammal Neogene Zone 2a, a turnover in Cenozoic climate, makes it a crucial source for the understanding of faunal, paleoecological and paleoenvironmental specifics of the European Aquitanian. However, while most taxa from Ulm-Westtangente have been studied, little to no research has been conducted on the large herbivores, particularly on the two rhinocerotids Mesaceratherium paulhiacense and Protaceratherium minutum. Here, we used a multi-proxy approach to investigate the paleoecology of these two species. The remains of the smaller species P. minutum (438 to 685 kg) are twice as abundant as those of the larger M. paulhiacense (1389 to 2327 kg), but both display a similar age structure (~ 10% of juveniles, 20% of subadults and 70% of adults), mortality curves, and mild prevalence of hypoplasia (~ 17%). Results from dental mesowear, microwear, and carbon isotopes indicate different feeding preferences: both were C3 feeders but M. paulhiacense had a more abrasive diet and was probably a mixed feeder. Our study on rhinocerotids also yielded new paleoenvironmental insights, such as the mean annual temperature (15.8 °C) and precipitation (317 mm/year) suggesting rather warm and dry conditions.

乌尔姆-西唐根特地区拥有德国阿基坦阶阶段最丰富的脊椎动物群。它可追溯到哺乳动物新近纪 2a 区，即新生代气候的更替，使其成为了解欧洲阿基塔尼亚动物区系、古生态和古环境特征的重要来源。然而，虽然乌尔姆-西唐根特的大多数类群都已被研究，但对大型食草动物的研究却很少，特别是对两种犀牛科Mesaceratherium paulhiacense和Protaceratherium minutum 。在这里，我们使用多代理方法来研究这两个物种的古生态学。较小物种P. minutum （438 至 685 公斤）的遗骸数量是较大物种M. paulhiacense （1389 至 2327 公斤）的两倍，但两者都显示出相似的年龄结构（约 10% 的幼鱼，20% 的幼鱼）亚成人和 70% 的成人）、死亡率曲线和轻度发育不全患病率（约 17%）。牙齿中观磨损、微磨损和碳同位素的结果表明不同的取食偏好：两者都是 C3 取食者，但M. paulhiacense 的饮食更具磨蚀性，并且可能是混合取食者。我们对犀牛的研究还产生了新的古环境见解，例如年平均气温（15.8°C）和降水量（317毫米/年）表明相当温暖和干燥的条件。